Not Applicable.
Not Applicable.
Not Applicable.
(1) Field of the Invention
This invention pertains to a method and apparatus for exercising the internal and external oblique muscles of the human body.
More particularly, this invention pertains to a method and apparatus for exercising the oblique muscles while minimizing the risk of injury during the exercise.
In another respect, the invention pertains to an exercise method and apparatus which utilizes lateral forces generated by the feet to facilitate exercise of the oblique muscles.
In a further respect, the invention pertains to an exercise method and apparatus which utilizes arm and upper body muscles to maintain the upper body in a relatively stationary position to facilitate exercise of the oblique muscles.
In still another respect, the invention pertains to an exercise apparatus and method which varies the inertial forces applied outside the feet to affect the degree of difficulty of the exercise.
(2) Description of Related Art Including Information Disclosed Under 37 CFR 1.97 and 1.98.
Many kinds of exercise apparatus exist.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,224,994 claims a method of exercising the upper body:
1. A method of exercising the upper body by tension and torsion comprising the steps of:
placing an inelastic strap having opposed ends and a handle at each end around the upper back, shoulders and upper arms of a user""s body having an axis,
gripping each handle at the ends of the strap;
tensioning the upper body muscles to any extend desired while gripping the handles and applying pressure on the upper body, shoulders and upper arms;
twisting the upper body about the axis of the user""s body; and
maintaining the handles substantially parallel to the axis of the user""s body and the same distance therefrom during the twisting of the upper body.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,890,999 claims a method of exercising an individual""s hands:
23. A method of exercising an individual""s hands, comprising the steps of:
(1) providing a hand held exerciser having
(a) a ball body including an elastomeric shell and a filler material within said elastomeric shell,
(b) said elastomeric shell being made from a resilient and stretchable elastomeric material, said elastomeric shell having a interior cavity defined within said shell,
(c) said filler material filling the entire cavity within said shell, said filler material comprising a putty which substantially maintains its shape without flowing, but which freely moves when compressed;
(2) placing the hand held exercise within the palm of an individual""s hand; and,
(3) having the individual repeatedly compress the hand exerciser within his hand with sufficient force to exercise the muscles with in the individual""s wrist.
A variety of other exercises and exercise apparatus exist for exercising the various muscles in the body. The waist is, however, one area which is difficult for many individuals to exercise to tone muscles and reduce fat. It is believed that this problem is in part due to the fact that many individuals focus on doing xe2x80x9ccrunchesxe2x80x9d and other types of sit-ups which exercise the abdominal muscles. While exercises for the rectus abdominis are important, such exercises do not focus on the exterior and interior oblique muscles. The oblique muscles extend diagonally around an individual""s sides and are important in firming up an individual""s waist line. The old dance the xe2x80x9ctwistxe2x80x9d performed by Chubby Checker utilizes the oblique muscles in order to twist the waist during the dance. The xe2x80x9ctwistxe2x80x9d typically does not, however, apply excessive stress to the oblique muscles because the movement of a person""s upper body in a direction opposite that of the person""s hips makes the twisting movement fairly easy. On the other hand, twisting exercises can pose an injury risk with respect to an individual""s lower back.
A variety of exercise equipment also exists which permits an individual to stand on a round flat horizontally-oriented rotatable plate and to turn the individual""s feet from side to side to rotate the plate. The movement of the hips on such apparatus is similar to the movement of the hips during the xe2x80x9ctwistxe2x80x9d dance.
Accordingly, it would be highly desirable to provide an improved method and apparatus for exercising the oblique muscles.
It would also be highly desirable to provide an improved oblique muscle exercise method and apparatus which would effectively exercise the oblique muscles while minimizing the risk of injury to the lower back and spine of an individual.
Therefore, it is the principal object of the invention to provide improved exercise apparatus.
Another object of the invention is to provide an improved method and apparatus for exercising the internal and external oblique muscles while minimizing the risk of a back injury.
A further object of the invention is to provide an improved method and apparatus for exercising the oblique muscles while simultaneously providing an aerobic workout for the body.